Am I tripping on psychedelic mushrooms or is there a Snowpocalypse in Saudi Arabia right now because this blog entry is about Taylor Swift…and it’s positive. FML.
I’m not one to excessively celebrity gossip (that’s for bores and basics), but you may know I used to majorly hate on Taylor Swift. I could not stand her TRYING-TOO-HARD-ALL-THE-TIME on-camera personality, nauseating humblebragging, and of course, the painfully awkward white girl dancing in the front row at every award show. I didn’t hate her music, but her songs were on no playlists of mine.
But then something shifted.
First there was the Jimmy Fallon EW! appearance, in which I thought she was endearing and….dare I even say it…FUNNY. As in, I laughed.
Then, like a surprise order of breadsticks with late-night pizza, “Shake It Off” came out and I was like, FUCK. I loved this song. I couldn’t deny it. I was singing it in my car, dancing around to it in my apartment, and putting it on my playlists. I mean, I still cringed every time she said “This. Sick. Beat.” but whatever. The music video surfaced and, while again–PAINFULLY AWKWARD WHITE GIRL DANCING–I loved that she didn’t care she looked like a dork (she did know that, right?). A Glamour piece articulated this perfectly–how Swift has “made being too cool uncool” and won us all over by “exuding kindness and inclusiveness,” and they’re right. People I never expected bought her album, like my music snob friend Chesley and my comedian friend Neal (who I just discovered has been a long-time fan):
It’s official: Taylor Swift has truly brought the entire world together.
SNL nailed this phenomenon:
Not to mention, she is undeniably talented (she can play an instrument, how crazy is that!?) and is a legitimate role model for young females in a tawdry land of sex tapes, Photoshopped nude magazine shoots, and ridiculous materialism (albeit, those are all one person…). Other celebrities her age post sexy selfies on Instagram; Taylor Swift posts a video white girl rapping in her car in a beanie and sweater…which she followed up with a picture that solidified my stamp of approval:
CRUSHED IT.
But it’s this latest song, “Blank Space” that really got me on #TeamTay, specifically this line: “Got a long list of ex-lovers; they’ll tell you I’m insane.”
Translation: I get around. And guys think I’m crazy.
WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT MOST GIRLS ARE LIKE AT 24, but few would admit it. We all know about her serial dating history and mass assumption of “That girl must be crazy,” and she’s making a parody of that media portrayal while simultaneously spewing “Yeah whatever, I’m crazy, we’re all crazy, let’s do this. It’ll probably end badly, but fuck it.” I can appreciate all of that (and the reminder that I do not miss being 24).
Not to mention, I love the video and the insanely gorgeous male lead (PS, he’s a model from right up the street in Kennesaw, Georgia, y’all).
I still haven’t purchased the album yet, and my reason is two-fold. 1) I have an unconditional love for Spotify and am (unrealistically) optimistic the two of them will end this lovers’ quarrel. 2) Once I hit that “purchase” button, I know I’m officially a damn Taylor Swift fan.
I’ll give it one more week.
Pass me the Swiftamine.
LYLAS,
Ashley
*Update, I bought the album two days after this blog entry. I kinda’ like it.